Why Bob Williamson is My Coach
by Scott DiGregorio, Primary Residential Mortgage, Ft. Myers FL
I had been in the mortgage business for over 15 years in mid-2010, and I found myself talking to Greg Frost - one of the biggest mortgage producers ever. I was picking his brain and trying to learn as much from him as possible during our brief conversation. When I asked him what was one thing that he would recommend that I do immediately, he didn’t hesitate when he said - hire Coach Bob. He told me that Bob had worked with him for over a decade and that having Bob on his team was one of the main reasons for his success. He told me that he would call Bob personally for me and have me contacted to start the process of determining if Bob and I would be a good fit. I remember thinking to myself - How can I say no? At the same time, I was thinking - How can I afford this? Where will I find the time for this? What can he possibly teach me that I don’t already know after 15 years of being in the business and reading dozens of business books? In 2011 (my first full year of working with Bob), I was my company's 5th highest-producing loan officer (in units) out of 2000 loan officers in 250 offices across the country. In 2012, I increased my production by 62% and cut my hours down from 60 a week to 40! I went into my initial call to Bob thinking an awful lot of myself -- I had good numbers, a personal assistant, a great marketing plan, etc. However, about 30 minutes into that first call, I realized that I didn’t know nearly as much as I thought I did. It is amazing to me that Bob has been able to point out so many things - seemingly obvious things - that I never noticed because things always look different from the outside looking in than the other way around. For example, in developing Realtor relationships, he helped me analyze that source of business by creating a spreadsheet that let me track the agents I was working with, and those I had targeted. I collected the information I needed to know about each agent and entered it in the spreadsheet, and we used the spreadsheet to plan a strategy for moving each Realtor relationship forward, measure the results I was getting, and adjust my strategy accordingly. He showed me how to -- instead of just making a sales pitch to a Realtor -- how to interview agents and get them to open up to me about the problems they were having in their businesses. This enabled me to build rapport and trust, so I had no trouble getting appointments to meet with them, where I would present an analysis of their challenges and solutions based on things I could do as their lender to help them be more successful. It definitely gave me a lot more control and influence over how those relationships moved forward. Probably the best thing he's done for me in terms of Realtor business frankly, is to keep me on point. Having him as a coach stops me from – and I still do it – but he keeps me from unintentionally losing focus and abandoning a plan. He helped me create --and actually execute --an email drip campaign for Realtors. The drip campaign positions me to be more of a partner to my Realtors, and less of a vendor, which has changed the dynamic with them. He has gotten me to bring Content Marketing into my business on both fronts – marketing to Realtors, and marketing to Homebuyers. That's been very powerful. The Realtors see me as an expert, which is very, very powerful. I consistently get e-mails from Realtors saying, "Man, that was a great article, Scott, thanks for sharing." The Home Buyer Drip Campaign we created educates Buyers, to help them make better purchasing decisions. Because of it, I spend more focused time with them. The e-mails educate them on a lot of the basic areas, and then we can just drill down on the one or two things that they're focused on, so I have shorter -- but higher-quality conversations with my Buyer prospects. The homebuyer drip campaign also helps me strengthen my relationship with Realtors – the way that it educates consumers on the realities of the market moves them from "just looking" to being "ready to buy" a lot more quickly -- so it not only shortens the sales cycle for my Realtors; it also helps us capture a higher percentage of the leads we generate. Time management has probably been the single best thing Coach Bob has done for my business. Having great plans and strategies is fine, but if you're not organized to actually get them done, it's a waste of time. Bob helped me take things from concepts and ideas to implementation. (Sometimes I would describe his role as nagging the heck out of me!) Getting me to switch my calendar from Outlook to ACT was a huge thing, and then helping me really get the concepts of prioritization and creative procrastination – that alone has helped me to sleep better at night. He has helped me recognize and deal with my weak spots, and he often recommends books that have had a big impact. The laser-like focus and direction that Bob has enabled me to create in my business is amazing! Scott DiGregorio Mortgage Expert Sales Manager www.FortMyersMortgageExpert.com NMLS # 302451 Featured mortgage expert on numerous local, national and international news programs Phone: 239-277-9244 ext. 211 Primary Residential Mortgage Inc. sdigregorio@primeres.com 3848 Colonial Blvd, Fort Myers, Fl 33966 "Experience the Difference" |
Professional Coaching & Training for the Mortgage Industry
Bob Williamson has been a business coach to the mortgage industry since 1988.
He has created or helped to pioneer such innovations as:
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